RM Off Road Series (ORS) #6: Spring Gluch Road/Trail Creek Road
This cache is the fifth of eight in my #6 series (plus one #6a series shared) of off-road caches located along the Spring Gulch Road/Trail Creek Road route. This route runs for 16 miles from Hwy 103 near Idaho Springs, to the I70 frontage road west of Idaho Springs.
Cache Information
This cache is located directly off of Spring Gulch Road at a good place to pull off and take a break after climbing a rocky hill. The cache is located in a huge Natural Pile of Rocks (NPR), unlike the usual Unnatural Pile of Rocks. The views from the top of the rock pile are awesome.
RM Off Road Series #6 Complete Cache Listing (Spring Gulch East to West and back to Trail Creek North)
1. Secret View
2. Mine View
3. Miners Quarters
4. Miners Overlook
5. NPR
6. I Made It! (Part of Series 6a)*
7. Upper Tailings
8. Lamartine Mine
* - This cache is at the top of the difficult Spring Creek trail and is part of RM Off Road Series #6a which starts at the lower end of the Spring Creek trail. This cache is accessible from the #6 series route and is therefore included as a cache in the #6 series. If you are up for a challenge and have the right equipment, you can start out with RM Off Road Series #6a and then do the #6 series when you reach the top of Spring Creek trail.
Trail Information
Rating/Description
This trail is rated easy to moderate. The suggested route is to take Spring Gulch Road to the most western cache "I Made It" and then backtrack to Trail Creek road, taking it back to town. Spring Gulch Road starts out easy at the Idaho Springs end but becomes moderate near the west end (@ N39 43.942 W105 37.852, included on waypoints below). There are side trails to a few of the caches and those are easy to moderate also. This is a great route for to test out those non-modified 4x4 vehicles. Most stock SUV type vehicles should be able to do this trail, but you will need 4WD low range in places. Disclaimer: You need to decide for yourself if it is safe to make the trip in your vehicle.
Winter Months
The trail is close to 11,000 feet elevation at the west end, so the upper elevations portions may be blocked by snow in the winter months. During this time, you may still be able to access the caches at the lower elevations.
Time/Distance
The entire trail as described above is approximately 16 miles and should take about 3 to 4 hours driving time. You will also need to include time for finding the caches, exploring, sight seeing, lunch, etc.
Trail Waypoints
See waypoint list below. (Entering on Spring Gulch Road and exiting on Trail Creek Road)
RM ORS #06-05: NPR
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NPR View
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